Vacuum drum pill counter

A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

• a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;
• b. a vacuum drum positioned in said housing, said vacuum drum having a front wall, a rear wall, and a perimeter wall, said front wall including a plurality of pill apertures and said front wall being capable of rotating relative to said counter housing;
• c. a hollow drum hub forming a vacuum connection to said vacuum drum;
• d. a vacuum source drawing a vacuum through said drum hub in order to induce a vacuum through said pill apertures in said vacuum drum;
• e. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum drum in order to rotate said vacuum drum;
• f. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum drum;
• g. a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;
• and
• h. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture.

A vacuum driven pill counter comprising:

• a. a counter housing with a pill discharge aperture formed therein;
• b. a vacuum disk rotatably positioned in said housing, said vacuum disk having a pill aperture formed therein;
• c. a vacuum source communicating with said housing and capable of drawing a vacuum through said pill aperture in said vacuum disk;
• d. a torque source operatively connected to said vacuum disk in order to rotate said vacuum disk;
• e. a pill shelf positioned adjacent to said front wall of said vacuum disk;
• f a pill separator for removing pills retained on said pill apertures by said vacuum source;
• g. a pill sensor positioned to detect pills which will exit said discharge aperture;
• and
• h. a selective pill feeder having a passage communicating to said pill shelf, said pill feeder regulating the pills allowed to accumulate on said pill shelf by restricting and unrestricting said passage.

A plate member for use in a vacuum driven pill counter, said plate member comprising:

• a. a plate body having a front wall;
• b. a plurality of apertures form around the circumference of said plate body and formed through said plate body;
• and
• c. at least one agitating finger connected to and extending outwardly from said front wall and positioned between two of said plurality of apertures.